Picking a name for your pet care company can be complicated. These steps help to make the process easier!

One of the most exciting and fun aspects of starting your new pet sitting or dog walking business is coming up with the name. If you’re really creative, this may come naturally to you and you’ve got dozens of ideas. If you’re struggling to find the perfect name - don’t worry. We’ve got some great tips to help you find that perfect name that represents you and the type of business you want to build.

#1 - Think about your business first

Before coming up with any actual business names, it’s really important to think about the business you want to build. Is your goal to expand your business to other cities? Are you going to pride yourself on being the most professional business in your area? Or maybe you want your business to evoke feelings of fun and positivity with your clients.

Create a list of the top 5 or 10 emotions you want associated with your business. Here are a couple ideas if you need some inspiration. Dependable, Positive, Safe, Reliable, Professional, Affordable, Honest, Original, Meticulous, Playful, Trustworthy, Hard-working, Flexible and Fun.

#2 - Brainstorm some ideas

Next up is where you get to be creative. Come up with a list of as many names as you can. If you’re struggling, think about the descriptive words you choose above. “Honest Dog Walkers” is a good start but try and build from there.

A couple items to keep in mind here. If you’re goal is to expand to other cities, you may want to keep your current location out of the name. “Boston Dog Walking” isn’t a great name for a business in Detroit. It’s also a good idea to not use your name either. If you someday plan on selling your business, it will make it easier if it’s not called “Mike’s Pet Care”.

If you’ve got a bunch of potential names, try and narrow down your list to the top 10.

#3 - Make sure you can own the name

Now that you’ve got some great options, the next step will narrow down some of your choices for you. It’s important to make sure you can own your business name (including the trademark, the domain and the social media properties).

To research any potential trademarks on your business name, you can use the Trademark Search Tool from the US Patent and Trademark Office. Plug in all of the names on your list and see if any have already been trademarked. You may want to also check with your state for this step as well.

Next, do some research on domain names. Ideally - yourbusinessname.com would be available but it may not be. Research what options you have for all of the business names you have on your list. There are a ton of great domain name tools out there including Google Domains.

Lastly - make sure that the social media properties are available. Namecheckr provides a great search for all of the major social media networks out there.

#4 - Choose your business name

Now that you’ve brainstormed your names, checked to make sure some were available and removed those that weren’t - it’s time to pick the perfect name. You might have your favorite already picked but it’s important to get feedback from your friends, family and even some potential clients. Ask around for feedback from as many people as possible.

#5 - Make the name yours

After choosing the name, now you’ve got to own it. The SBA has a great tool that will show you how to register your new business name. Make sure you also purchase the domain. You can use the same Google Domains tool for this. Lastly - claim the relevant social media pages for your new business. You can snag as many as you’d like but definitely get the Facebook page.